Related papers: Mechanical Model for Relativistic Blast Waves and …
In the fireball model, it is more physically realistic that gamma-ray burst (GRB) ejecta have a range of bulk Lorentz factors (assuming $M\propto \Gamma^{-s}$). The low Lorentz factor part of the ejecta will catch up with the high Lorentz…
The recent detection of delayed X-ray and optical emission, ``afterglow,'' associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) supports models, where the bursts are produced by relativistic expanding blastwaves, ``fireballs,'' at cosmological…
Fireballs are huge isotropic explosions models widely believed to explain Gamma Ray Burst, GRBs (Piran,1999); ever-new versions consider wide beamed (10^o) Jet explosions hitting external shells. On the contrary, since 1994-1998, we argued…
Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are panchromatic, highly energetic transients whose energy emission mechanism is still debated. One of the possible explanations is the standard fireball model, which can be tested with the closure relations (CRs),…
Explosions of massive stars are believed to be the source of a significant fraction of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). If this is indeed the case, then the explosion blast wave propagates into a complex density structure, composed of a stellar…
In light of the most recent observations of late afterglows produced by the merger of compact objects or by the core-collapse of massive dying stars, we research the evolution of the afterglow produced by an off-axis top-hat jet and its…
Gamma-ray bursts are thought to be the outcome of a cataclysmic event leading to a relativistically expanding fireball, in which particles are accelerated at shocks and produce nonthermal radiation. We discuss the theoretical predictions of…
Observations of very early multi-wavelength afterglows are critical to reveal the properties of the radiating fireball and its environment as well as the central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). We report our optical observations of GRB…
The Cannonball Model is based on the hypothesis that GRBs and their afterglows are made in supernova explosions by relativistic ejecta similar to the ones observed in quasars and microquasars. Its predictions are simple, and analytical in…
Observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows have long provided the most detailed information about the origin of this spectacular phenomena. The model that is most commonly used to extract physical properties of the event from the…
We review the fireball shock model of gamma-ray burst prompt and early afterglow emission in light of rapid follow-up measurements made and enabled by the multi-wavelength Swift satellite. These observations are leading to a reappraisal and…
We examine Fermi-type acceleration at relativistic shocks, and distinguish between the initial boost of the first shock crossing cycle, where the energy gain per particle can be very large, and the Fermi process proper with repeated shock…
The standard model of Gamma-Ray Bursts afterglows is based on synchrotron radiation from a blast wave produced when the relativistic ejecta encounters the surrounding medium. We reanalyze the refreshed shock scenario, in which slower…
The two leading contenders for the theory of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows, the Fireball and Cannonball models, are compared and their predictions are confronted, within space limitations, with key GRB observations, including…
We investigate the dynamics and afterglow light curves of gamma-ray burst (GRB) blast waves that encounter various density structures (such as bumps, voids, or steps) in the surrounding ambient medium. We present and explain the…
We present a study of the intermediate regime between ultra-relativistic and nonrelativistic flow for gamma-ray burst afterglows. The hydrodynamics of spherically symmetric blast waves is numerically calculated using the AMRVAC adaptive…
The X-ray light curves of the early afterglow phase from gamma-ray bursts present a puzzling variability, including flares. The origin of these flares is still debated, and often associated with a late activity of the central engine. We…
The afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB) is commonly thought to be due to continuous deceleration of a relativistically expanding fireball in the surrounding medium. Assuming that the expansion of the fireball is adiabatic and that the…
According to the internal-external shocks model for $\gamma $-ray bursts (GRBs), the GRB is produced by internal shocks within a relativistic flow while the afterglow is produced by external shocks with the ISM. We explore the early…
We consider a gamma-ray burst (GRB) model based on an anisotropic fireball with an axisymmetric power-law distribution of the energy per solid angle with index -k, and allow for the observer's viewing direction being at an arbitrary angle…